Ken Quinney began his professional career with Fredericton, of the AHL, in the 1985-86 season. Quinney had been drafted by the Quebec Nordique 205th overall in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft and had returned to his junior team in Calgary before joining Fredericton. The next season he got to see NHL action when he debuted on October 9, 1986 against the Detroit Red Wings. Almost three weeks later he scored his first goal.

The Nordiques visited Maple Leaf Gardens on October 21 to take on Toronto. Quinney was matched up on a line with Mike Eagles and the combination clicked against the Leafs. In the second period Steve Thomas tried to elude the Quebec forecheck by retreating toward his own goal but wound up having Quinney stripping him of the puck. Ken passed the puck to Eagles for the score. In the third period Eagles returned the favor 23 seconds into the frame. Jerome Dupont gave the puck away to Eagles, who set up Ken for the score. His first NHL goal came against Tim Bernhardt, who had just entered the game. The Nordiques sunk the Leafs 7-1.

Ken Quinney spent most of the next three seasons in the American Hockey League. The Nordiques used him sparingly over that time, only giving him 59 games with the parent club. Quinney joined the Detroit Red Wing system for the 1991-92 season. He led their farm team, Adirondack, to the Calder Cup. Quinney put up a point-a-game during the playoffs and had a nine game point scoring streak extend well into the final series against the St. John's Maple Leafs. Ken left for the warmer climate of Las Vegas, of the IHL, for 1993-94. The expansion Las Vegas Thunder played Quinney alongside Patrice Lefebvre and Radek Bonk. Quinney and Lefebvre elevated the play of the young Bonk enough that Ottawa selected the centre 3rd overall in 1994.

Quinney played in Las Vegas for five satisfying seasons and when he left the team in 1998 only Lefebvre remained from the original Thunder crew. Ken left the Thunder to play three seasons with the Frankfurt Lions before retiring as a player in 2001.

REGULAR SEASON

PLAYOFFS

Season

Club

League

GP

G

A

TP

PIM

+/-

GP

G

A

TP

PIM

1981-82

Calgary Wranglers

WHL

63

11

17

28

55

2

0

0

0

15

1982-83

Calgary Wranglers

WHL

71

26

25

51

71

16

6

1

7

46

1983-84

Calgary Wranglers

WHL

71

64

54

118

38

4

5

2

7

0

1984-85

Calgary Wranglers

WHL

56

47

67

114

65

7

6

4

10

15

1985-86

Fredericton Express

AHL

61

11

26

37

34

6

2

2

4

9

1986-87

Quebec Nordiques

NHL

25

2

7

9

16

+2

1986-87

Fredericton Express

AHL

48

14

27

41

20

1987-88

Quebec Nordiques

NHL

15

2

2

4

5

-3

1987-88

Fredericton Express

AHL

58

37

39

76

39

13

3

5

8

35

1988-89

Halifax Citadels

AHL

72

41

49

90

65

4

3

0

3

0

1989-90

Halifax Citadels

AHL

44

9

16

25

63

2

0

0

0

2

1990-91

Quebec Nordiques

NHL

19

3

4

7

2

-2

1990-91

Halifax Citadels

AHL

44

20

20

40

76

1991-92

Adirondack Red Wings

AHL

63

31

29

60

33

19

7

12

19

9

1992-93

Adirondack Red Wings

AHL

63

32

34

66

15

10

2

9

11

9

1993-94

Las Vegas Thunder

IHL

79

55

53

108

52

5

3

3

6

2

1994-95

Las Vegas Thunder

IHL

78

40

42

82

40

10

3

2

5

9

1995-96

Las Vegas Thunder

IHL

66

33

36

69

59

9

2

5

7

15

1996-97

Las Vegas Thunder

IHL

71

27

36

63

39

2

0

0

0

0

1997-98

Las Vegas Thunder

IHL

82

34

57

91

19

-24

4

1

2

3

2

1998-99

Frankfurt Lions

Germany

36

12

17

29

26

8

2

3

5

27

1998-99

Frankfurt Lions

EuroHL

2

0

0

0

0

1999-00

Frankfurt Lions

Germany

56

17

16

33

51

5

0

2

2

4

2000-01

Frankfurt Lions

Germany

60

21

24

45

12

NHL Totals

59

7

13

20

23

WHL East First All-Star Team (1985) IHL First All-Star Team (1994) IHL Second All-Star Team (1998)